9.24.2007

Parts & Labor and Les Savy Fav played at Bowery Ballroom this weekend, a really energetic show, of course. But when did Les Savy Fav's fans all turn into closeted (and not-so-closeted) frat boys? Haven't had to deal with such aggro bullshit since I went to see Municipal Waste (where it is supposed to be part of the experience).

Speaking of Parts & Labor, here's a track from band member BJ Warshaw's solo project, Shooting Spires. The new (first) album is really good. Some parts Parts & Labor, some parts Animal Collective (when they're good) and some parts other bands I'm not enough of a music nerd to know to reference. Yeah.

9.22.2007

The nice guys over at Fecal Face were kind enough to provide one of their t-shirts designed by Travis Millard (men's large) for me to give away on Sucka Pants (a little cross-promotion never hurt). So I am offering it up to whomever sends me the best photo. That's the only qualification, being the "best." As judged by me, obviously. If you win, I'll mail the shirt off to you with some other goodies, as well as post a link to your winning photo on Sucka Pants. So to enter, please send me an email with:

A) your best photoB) your name and address (domestic US addresses only)

The contest is open till midnight on Friday, September 28th. And my email is sucka at suckapants dot com.

9.19.2007

A friend of mine helped put together this fundraiser happening on Sunday. It has a diverse line-up and takes place in a great open-air location on the Gowanus Canal: The Yard. It's a nice spot with beautiful poplar trees, picnic tables, and a view of the "Gowanus jellyfish" floating by (ie. condoms). They will also be serving local beer, BBQ, and locally grown farm produce. Details below:

On Sunday Sept. 23rd the Starry-Eyed Festival will give New Yorkers another chance to enjoy some great outdoor music and locally grown food at Brooklyn’s coolest new music venue The Yard.

The event will be held from 3-9pm and feature live performances by the dirty funk outfit The Budos Band, the ethereal art-pop songs of ex-Cibo Matto front woman Miho Hatori, as well as Melanie Moser and the Eleventh Hour Band, Bell Orchestre’s Kaveh Nabatian and newcomer folk artist Barrett Lindgren. World renown DJ and Producer Tim “Love” Lee (Tummytouch) and Acid Test DJs SpiritBear and Udagawa will round out the evening with DJ sets.

The Yard, located on the banks of the Gowanus and just a few steps from the F/G trains in Carroll Gardens, will be serving up local beer, BBQ and locally grown farm produce at the festival. More acts to be added in the coming weeks.

Proceeds from the Starry-Eyed Festival will benefit the Star Island Corporation, a Portsmouth, NH -based non-profit organization. The non-profit organization maintains a Victorian-era hotel on the island, which has been a haven for historical figures as diverse as Henry David Thoreau and the pirate Blackbeard.

Recently, the hotel has needed some prohibitively expensive repairs, threatening the island’s future as a family, artist, and intellectual retreat center. More information on Star Island is available here. Pictures and event information at Starry-eyed Festival.

Yeasayer has been getting some buzz as of late. I checked them out when I was assigned to shoot them for a magazine. I love when I am perusing new songs by a new band and one just reaches out and grabs my attention, as happened when I heard this track off their new/first EP. They are currently on a short tour, so if you get a chance to catch them, I would.

9.04.2007

(captions from Bumbershoot: a fan holds it up for Wu-Tang; lots of fans hold it up for the reunited Wu Clan; drum fan; rockin' the homemade rock meter; Paul The Plumber of the Cyclecide crew; Vau de Vire Society; Greg from the Bouncing Souls likes his fans; mohawk in the crowd; George Washington reminds you to fight the power; shower time; these kids are psyched; God was so excited for Wu-Tang to reunite that he made them angels; smoke on the river crowd; cell phones are the new concert-lighters; concerts are fun... texting is funner)

I've been in Seattle covering the Bumbershoot music festival. It's been fun but exhausting. I've met some really nice people, and seen some old friends. Life is pretty good here in Seattle.

- Best quote: from one security guard to another as the Wu-Tang crowd disperses, "I miss the old days, when you could just clock 'em."- Best new racial slur: "Jewbag."- Favorite political t-shirt: "Support Our Remaining Troops."- Favorite non-political(?) t-shirt: "Support Piracy" (at a music festival, get it).- Favorite police overkill moment: Eight cops/security guards to surround a guy with a counterfeit security shirt.- Most surreal moment: seeing Fergie in concert.- Most bumming-out moment: watching while security guards rushed into the crowd to grab and eject anyone who even ATTEMPTED to crowd surf at the Bouncing Souls show. They were, unfortunately, very effective at their job. Is having fun so illegal now?- Most annoying moment: a festival worker getting in my face and threatening to throw me out for taking this photo of a girl receiving medical treatment (excessively drunk?). Since it was near the end of the last set of the festival I just shrugged at him, but didn't get a chance to get a clearer photo.- Injuries sustained: a couple blisters, and very bruised ribs from the crowd-crush-barrier at the Bouncing Souls. And I almost got puked on, but not quite.